Fathers and Sons
Reviews
Review | Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
Genre: Philosophical Fiction, Romance Novel
Plot: The plot surrounds two friends Arkady and Bazarov, who are shown as nihilists. Arkady’s visit to his father after his graduation changes the relationship between the father and the son when Bazarov accompanies him. The generation gap of Russian aristocratic fathers and nihilist sons questions the philosophy, politics and romance life in the novel set in Russian society.
What I felt about it: This is my first read by Turgenev, so I am not very familiar to his writing styles. After reading Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy, I really appreciate the work of Ivan Turgenev, who creates a strong and intriguing plot in just 200 pages novel. I read the penguin black classics version. The themes that surrounds the novel are love, friendship, family bonds, philosophical thoughts, politics, Russian aristocracy vs Radicalism.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone liking to begin with Russian Literature. Tolstoy and Dostoevsky have heavy texts but this book is a fast read and accomplishes in bringing the true essence of Russian literature.
Favourite quotes:
~ “Death's an old story, but new for each!”
~ “Even nightingales can’t live on songs alone.”
~ “So many memories and so little worth remembering, and in front of me — a long, long road without a goal...”
This is a book that took me ages to start reading but was then a super-fast read once I actually got started. Unlike SOME Russian authors I could name, cough, Tolstoy, cough. The story is short and simply told but quietly devastating, as two different generations from two different families try to work out where they stand with each other. It's ostensibly about clashes of philosophies, but I think it's actually more about the challenges of maintaining relationships with family members, friends, and potential or actual romantic partners, and what happens when two people come to terms with the fact that one has, emotionally, outgrown the other...and that's why it works. My personal sympathies were more with the fathers than the sons (Pavel Petrovich is an arrogant outlier and should not be counted), which confirms that I am in fact a little old lady trapped in a middle-aged woman's body, lol. Anyway, Nikolai Petrovich must be protected at all costs.
